Shalom Hospital Saga: Baby Ethan Died of an Overdose of Morphine

The cause of seven-month-old baby Ethan Muendo’s death at Shalom Hospital in Athi River has been revealed.

Speaking at the hospital on Monday evening, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) Chairman Prof. Fredrick Were says the child was killed by an overdose of morphine — a pain reliever drug.

Were says baby Ethan was injected with a dose of morphine that was 20 times more than the required amount.

The official explains that the boy was supposed to be given an oral medication of the drug but was injected with the dose of morphine since the syrup was not available.

“It was thought necessary that the child is given medication to reduce the pain that may come with the dressing. A medication called morphine was prescribed to be given by mouth.”

“The boy was prescribed 0.2ml orally but the hospital did not have the syrup so it was changed to 20 milligrams injection instead of 1 milligram,” says Were.

“It ties with what happened… The child went drowsy, went home sleepy and was brought back still very sleepy and in that process of time the child was lost,” adds Prof. Were.

The private facility has since been shut down and the manager George Onyango alongside two other staff arrested.

Unconfirmed reports indicate the staff who administered the lethal jab is a patient attendant and not a trained medical practitioner.

The boy’s mother Juliana Mutheu says she took her son to the hospital after the boy scalded his left hand with hot water from a dispenser.